In a conventional airport terminal building, the passengers arrive using ground transportation at a street-side entrance and the aircraft are brought to the terminal on the runway side. The aircraft pull up to passenger gates where some servicing of the aircraft takes place, such as refueling, loading and unloading cargo, and minor maintenance. However, a conventional airport terminal typically does not provide for major maintenance of the aircraft or indoor storage of the aircraft. Instead, a separate building, or hangar, is located away from the terminal building.
Smaller airline or general aviation facilities often lack the resources for providing two separate buildings. Also, two separate buildings require that each building be separately staffed thereby duplicating some staff positions, for example, the number of security guards. Accordingly, such facilities often do not provide any separation of passengers from the aircraft servicing equipment and personnel. For example, in such facilities, the passengers often must walk through the hangar or around the hangar to waiting aircraft, which substantially degrades the passenger experience.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,441 relates to a multilevel airport building structure which includes hangar areas and a concourses the aircraft are kept separated from the passengers by moving the aircraft on elevators between the hangar areas and the boarding areas. Aircraft elevators are impractical for general aviation facilities.
Equipment for servicing and supporting aircraft is usually placed along the walls of a hangar to allow a large space for storing and rearranging aircraft. Typically, each hangar has its own hangar support service area and corresponding equipment which results in duplication of such areas and equipment.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 1,780,102 relates to an aeroplane hangar with multiple stalls connecting to a central space, the hangar is a stand-alone single level structure which requires that the fuselage of the aircraft be moved into the central space for major repairs.